Collaborative action research in the chilean EFL classroom

Tesis (Profesor de Inglés, Licenciado en Educación)Este estudio discute los resultados obtenidos en una investigación cualitativa que involucra a un docente en formación como profesor-investigador en una Investigación-Acción, en un colegio de Santiago de Chile. El objetivo de este estudio fue explorar los beneficios de la Colaboración en Investigación-Acción como una práctica para promover la inclusión de la expresión oral del idioma inglés en las aulas chilenas. El profesor-investigador utilizó un diario como un instrumento para reflexionar sobre sus clases y actividades orales, las cuales fueron aplicadas en el colegio. Esas actividades orales fueron obtenidas de dos entrevistas grupales con docentes en formación de una universidad chilena, quienes fueron los colaboradores de este estudio, así como también la profesora mentora del colegio en el cual el profesor-investigador estaba haciendo su práctica. Los resultados mostraron que algunas de las actividades obtenidas en las entrevistas grupales promovieron la participación e interacción de los estudiantes durante las clases. Además, el profesor-investigador fue capaz de percibir la importancia de la reflexión de las actividades con el fin de hacer cambios y mejoras en su docencia. Asimismo, la colaboración entre pares, la cual fue representada en las entrevistas grupales, nos permitió reconocer nuestras fortalezas y mejorar nuestras debilidades cuando enseñamos. Finalmente, este estudio sugiere que todos los docentes deberían compartir sus experiencias, opiniones, sentimientos o pensamientos con sus colegas para así implementar colaboración, y también hacer de la reflexión un método habitual en su enseñanza para prevenir errores comunes representados por profesores en la sala de clases.This study discusses the outcomes of a qualitative research, which engaged a pre-service teacher as the teacher-researcher (T-R) in an Action Research (AR) design at a school in Santiago, Chile. The aim of this study was to explore the benefits of Collaborative Action Research (CAR) as a practice to foster the inclusion of speaking skills in Chilean EFL classrooms. The T-R used journals as an instrument to reflect on his teaching and speaking practices which were applied at the school. Those speaking practices were obtained from two group interviews with pre-service teachers from a Chilean university, who were the collaborators of this study, as well as the mentor teacher (M-T) from the school where the T-R was doing his practicum. The findings showed that the practices obtained in the group interviews encouraged students’ participation and interaction during classes. In addition, the T-R was able to perceive the importance of reflection on the practices in order to make changes and improvements in his teaching. Collaboration among peers, which was represented in the group interviews, allowed us to recognize our strengths and improve our weaknesses when teaching. Finally, this study suggests that all teachers should share their experiences, opinions, feelings, or thoughts with their colleagues in order to implement collaboration, and make reflection a common method in their teaching to prevent common errors committed by teachers in the classroom

La intuición de una mirada

Sentir y observar, mirar e intuir. La fotografía se ve y se siente, la imagen se revela ante el ojo de fotógrafo, el mundo se despliega y se concentra a un tiempo, la imagen habla, la fotografía pronuncia al mundo, lucha contra lo efímero, se muestra y se oculta, avanza y retrocede, reta y acaricia, es una presencia

Quantile computation via ordinary differential equations. The non-central χ2 case and its financial application

Mathematics and statistics are widely used in financial problems. In particular, quantile computation methods are an interesting field of study in order to obtain new and better ways to measure risk with Value-at-Risk (VaR) and Expected Shortfall (ES). We will be interested in considering the quantile computation with ordinary differential equations (ODEs), and specifically with numerical methods as Euler and Runge-Kutta which will let us find numerical solutions to these ODEs, and consequently numerical quantiles. The studied problem will be centered in the delta-gamma framework, where the quantile computation of non-central chi-square distribution will be needed. Thus, implementations of numerical methods and several numerical experiments will be done, comparing the results with other quantile computation methods and understanding the possibilities which ODEs offer us to solve the quantile computation problem

Community-oriented Service-Learning: A university experience for preventing cannabis abuse in vulnerable adolescents and young people

Learning integrated into community action promotes a more active citizenry. More specifically, service-learning (S-L) embedded into higher education can represent a big challenge yet also an opportunity to involve the whole university community in social and community development. This paper addresses this teaching method by identifiying and reviewing the different components that define S-L, that is: civic engagement, social responsibility, civic education, partnership, and reflection. The ways in which S-L can be introduced into the curriculum are explained, through detailing experiences already carried out in the teaching of psychology. Current available data on its efficacy in university education are analyzed. The focus now turns to a university experience involving Community Psychology students across Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. During this experience, students on both programmes make their final-year projects to develop a prevention resource aimed at young people at high risk of problematic cannabis use. Ultimately, this program not only teaches students the principles of Community Psychology but also give them an opportunity to put them into practice

Cutaneous Perivascular Epithelioid Cell Tumor of Gynecologic Origin Metastatic to Skin, Lung, Stomach, and Brain

Regarding the first case report recently published by Navale et al1 about a skin perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa) with focal melanin pigmentation, we wish to present another exceptional case of a malignant uterine PEComa metastatic to skin and lung, gastric lymph-vascular invasion, and brain dissemination, which was also initially misdiagnosed as skin melanoma because of the presence of epithelioid features and the expression of some melanocytic markers. Our patient was a 62-year-old woman, who presented with abnormal uterine bleeding that prompted hysterectomy 3 years ago. An extrainstitutional pathology report on the surgical specimen revealed a lesion compatible with a uterine leiomyosarcoma that was managed with adjuvant radiotherapy. At the 2-year clinical follow-up, the patient presented with a mass on the posterior region of the neck, which required undergoing surgical excision. The pathology study features were compatible with a malignant melanoma. Other reassessment and follow-up studies evidenced a compromise of the lung, with histopathological diagnosis of metastatic melanoma. A year ago, the patient presented with a new pigmented lesion on the right cheek. Once again, the biopsy study revealed a melanoma

Complemented copies of c_0(tau) in tensor products of L_p[0,1]

International audienceLet X be a Banach space and τ an infinite cardinal. We show that if τ has uncountable cofinality, p ∈ [1, ∞) and either the Lebesgue-Bochner space L p ([0, 1], X) or the injective tensor product L_p [0, 1] ⊗_ ε X contains a complemented copy of c_0 (τ), then so does X. We show also that if p ∈ (1, ∞) and the projective tensor product L_p [0, 1] ⊗_π X contains a complemented copy of c_0 (τ), then so does X

Translational regulation contributes to the elevated CO2 response in two Solanum species.

Understanding the impact of elevated CO2 (eCO2 ) in global agriculture is important given climate change projections. Breeding climate-resilient crops depends on genetic variation within naturally varying populations. The effect of genetic variation in response to eCO2 is poorly understood, especially in crop species. We describe the different ways in which Solanum lycopersicum and its wild relative S. pennellii respond to eCO2 , from cell anatomy, to the transcriptome, and metabolome. We further validate the importance of translational regulation as a potential mechanism for plants to adaptively respond to rising levels of atmospheric CO2

De perros a bestias: Perros hambrientos de Ciro Alegría

Se presentan extractos de la novela Perros hambrientos, de Ciro Alegría Bazán. La intención del autor es reivindicar al indio, víctima de un sistema social opresivo, y rescatar la grandeza humana que los enaltece y de paso humaniza su relación con la naturaleza y por lo mismo con sus compañeros, los animales. La bestialidad de perros humanizados, adaptada a las labores pastoriles, es resultado de factores biológicos desencadenados por situaciones extremas, y sobre todo cuando los hombres campesinos y pastores de sociedades tradicionales dependían de la agricultura de temporal, propias de sociedades “precapitalistas” o de “antiguo régimen” cuando las sequias se presentaban cíclicamente cada medio siglo, lo que provocaba crisis económicas, incubadoras de hambrunas aterradoras que condenaban a la gente a la miseria

Effects of a collaborative and gamified online learning methodology on class and test emotions

This study examines the influence of students’ individual attitude and social interactions on participation in collaborative and gamified online learning activities, as well as the influence of participating in those activities on students’ online classand test-related emotions. Based on a sample of 301 first year Economics and Law university students and using the Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling approach, all the relationships among first-order and second-order constructs included in the model are validated. The results support all the hypotheses studied, confirming the positive relationship that both students’ individual attitude and social interactions have on participation in collaborative and gamified online learning activities. The results also show that participating in those activities is positively related with class- and test-related emotions. The main contribution of the study is the validation of the effect of collaborative and gamified online learning on university students’ emotional well-being through the analysis of their attitude and social interactions. Moreover, this is the first time in the specialised learning literature that students’ attitude is considered as a second-order construct operationalised by three factors: the perceived usefulness that this digital resource brings to the students, the entertainment that this digital resource brings to the students, and the predisposition to use this digital resource among all those available in online training. Our findings aim to shed light for educators when preparing and designing computer mediated and online teaching programs that seek to generate positive emotions as a motivation for students.Funding for open access publishing: Universidad Málaga/CBU